Supporting all who care for elders
I love babies. I have a new granddaughter, and watching her grow is a delight. When she was just a week old, she melted into my shoulder, and I revelled in the feel and smell of her. Now she is two months old and smiling and it’s a whole new kind of wonderful. (p.s. I
How to Become a Detective When Communicating with an Elder With Dementia Read More »
Troy and his dad enjoyed many activities together. Walking in the garden, watching fishing shows, looking at old photo albums and reminiscing. But Dad’s favourite was when they did puzzles together. Even with dementia, Dad enjoyed complex puzzles with 1,000 pieces. He’d done them all his life, and each time he found a piece that
How to Listen to Improve Communication With Someone With Dementia Read More »
The visit had been a disaster. Grace had brought her grandchildren to see her mother after she moved to long-term-care. They were excited, and raced in the room calling, “Hi, Grandma! Remember me?” It was obvious that she didn’t. She looked confused and then covered her ears at their eager voices.
How to Make Me Feel Heard. Communicating With People With Dementia Read More »
Libby had taught the junior grades for 30 years, and she’d loved it. Certainly, she saw problems today which had been unknown when her career began, but she’s done her research and had learned new approaches. Kids were kids, after all, and they needed encouragement and for someone to believe in them. And
How to Fight Loneliness by Making Connections Read More »
Walter looked out the window but he didn’t notice the lush green of the garden. It had rained for three days straight, sometimes with thunderstorms, and the grey skies suited his mood. The weather had kept him inside and he couldn’t think of a thing he wanted to do. The book he had started a
How to Eradicate Boredom and Find Purpose for Elders Read More »
Unlike most of the female population, I hate shopping. Perhaps it’s more accurate to say I hate going into stores, because Amazon and I have an “up close and personal” relationship. But there is one store that will get me out of the house in a minute–my local garden centre. As
Practical Ways to Turn Helplessness into Independence Read More »
“Each person with dementia is a person first. They are the person they were, the person they are and the person they are becoming. They may lose abilities with the disease, but they retain their personhood. This must be at the centre of our understanding, and the foremost thought in every interaction.” Ann Peachman Stewart
How to Celebrate the Personhood of the Person with Dementia Read More »
Some memories are all about the emotions. It was 50 years ago, but the anger and indignity I felt still surface. As a kid, I’d loved family reunions. Usually held beside water, I could swim, run around with the three cousins who were close to my age and snack all day
How to Plan Summer Family Celebrations Which Include Your Elder Read More »
Janice sat at the dining room table, looking through the floor-to-ceiling windows to the garden. The pleasant view, the sun streaming in and her favourite lunchtime salad on the menu served to brighten her mood. Plus, her daughter would visit this afternoon, and perhaps one of her grandsons. She smiled as she got
The Far-reaching Effects of Falls in the Elderly Read More »
Gladys continually tried to escape her facility. Even though she lived in a pleasant environment with caring staff, good food and a variety of activities, she used every opportunity she could find to get away. Staff were at their wit’s end, and her family worried that she would hurt herself or get lost
Looking for the Unmet Need in Supporting Elders With Dementia Read More »